Text Message Spammers Beware!

FTC Cracks Down on Text Message Spammers

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is cracking down on text message spam, primarily in that area of annoying opportunities to get a free gift card.

Spam text messages are a serious offense as these defendants may soon discover.

According to a press release today by the FTC, more than 180 million spam text messages were sent by 29 different defendants. The spam messages promised consumers free gifts or prizes, including gift cards worth $1,000 to major retailers such as Best Buy, Walmart and Target. Consumers who clicked on the links in the messages found themselves in a quagmire of elaborate websites that requested personal financial information.

According to the report, 12% of Americans received the spam text messages. In many cases, the spam messages went to consumers that did not have a text message subscription plan, thus causing the recipients to pay for exorbitant text message costs for the unwanted spam.

These charges are serious, which is why 84444.com requires a legitimate opt-in from its consumers. A year ago, 84444 implemented a policy where customers could not immediately upload a list of supposed opt-in phone numbers until proof of the legitimate opt-in was supplied to 84444. You can read the Anti-Spam Policy of 84444 here.

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Bob Bentz is the president of ATS Mobile which provides numerous mobile marketing tools, including the 84444 text message marketing tools in the USA and Canada. You can learn more about Bob at his personal website www.BobBentz.com.